Filmed on location in Switzerland, Phenomena (initially released in the U.S. in a heavily truncated version titled Creepers) isn't generally considered one of Dario Argento's best and it's plain to see why. To quote Mike Bracken, Epinions own horror aficionado: "the plot's a little silly." Yep, no argument about that. Actually, and I'm thinking of one specific plot element, ridiculous might be more accurate. And yet, putting the plot aside for a moment, Phenomena is fairly engrossing. There are moments of genuine beauty and much of the movie is visually arresting.

Take the opening title shot for example. Argento employs a crane to go up and over the top of some trees in an eye-catching bit of camerabatics. Actually, although it has little direct bearing on the plot, the Italian horror auteur seems fascinated with trees and wind and the rustling of leaves and such. There's a sense (and this is also indicative of what producer Val Lewton was up to with a number of terrific films from the 1940s) that something sinister is in the air itself. Here, an entomology professor (played by horror stalwart Donald Pleasance) comments on the local wind: When it blows there are those who say it causes madness. This, however, isn't played up as Argento tends to stick close to his durable "giallo" roots.

The plot of Phenomena revolves around Jennifer Corvino (a young Jennifer Connelly in her first starring role), an American sent off to a Swiss boarding school. Argento teases us with regard to her father's occupation. The comment: "Your father is terribly..." is quickly cut off with the line, "Yes, isn't he." Although we later learn he's a popular movie actor on location in the Philippines.

Jennifer arrives at the school—the Richard Wagner International School for Girls we're told via voiceover, the narrator mispronouncing "Wagner"—only to discover a mad killer is on the loose. We witness one such killing—the stabbing and decapitation of a 14-year-old Danish tourist (Fiore Argento, the director's daughter)—in the movie's first few minutes.

Jennifer is a sleepwalker and, on her first memorable night in what has been referred to as "the Swiss Transylvania", she wanders around only to witness another gruesome murder in one of the school's vacant buildings—something she later will not recall ("It's all a blank"). Her somnambulism takes her into the woods where she stumbles upon a pet chimpanzee. The monkey leads her to the home of Professor McGregor (a Scottish-accented Donald Pleasance, sounding a bit like the late Robert Shaw), a wheelchair-bound bug expert. As it turns out, Jennifer can communicate telepathically with insects and thus finds an immediate ally in McGregor. Jennifer reminds him of a previous assistant, another apparent murder victim, and the two join forces to locate the killer following Jennifer's escape from Richard Wagner International.

This comes on the heels of a Carrie-like incident at the school. Taunted by her fellow students ("We worship you, we worship you...") Jennifer calls forth a swarm of flies and is promptly labeled "the Lady of the Flies" by the stern Headmistress (Dalila Di Lazzaro) who considers her "diabolic".

Jennifer has previously found, with the help of a firefly, a piece of physical evidence—a black glove belonging to the killer (this nighttime sequence, set to a pulsating score, is a highlight as Connelly casts a lovely figure in virginal white). McGregor, too, gets involved by providing Jennifer with a fly born of the first girl's maggot-infested skull (the professor is in possession of this due to the fact he's assisting the local police Inspector). By retracing this first victim's bus route and paying attention to the fly, Jennifer discovers where she was killed. Soon, however, her nosy amateur sleuthing puts her in danger as well.

Phenomena has a number of positives going for it. First and foremost, it's beautifully shot by Romano Albani. Second, no less than eight names (including The Rolling Stones’ Bill Wyman and prog rockers and Argento staple Goblin) are credited with the film's score and the numerous contributors really pay off; the music, with one or two exceptions, complements the film well. And gore hounds should be pleased with the stylish set pieces and the level of violence (if it needs to be said this is not appropriate for children).

My biggest complaint, however, concerns the climax, which I won't divulge in great detail. While the notion of a razor-wielding monkey is, undoubtedly, a cool-sounding idea (George Romero would pick up on the theme with his Monkey Shines) it's ridiculous when applied here. How is it, I would ask, that this chimp winds up at the same exact location as our heroine, at precisely the right moment in time? To buy into this, it would seem, one would need to believe that Jennifer's telepathic abilities go beyond the insect world and include primates. Not exactly a minor point, and not something I'm readily willing to accept. Still, it comes recommended (the 110-minute, uncut Phenomena, that is, re-released as part of the Dario Argento Collection by Anchor Bay).



Recommended:
Yes